AT HIS lowest ebb Mikel Arteta wondered when he would ever play for Everton again as his injured knee continued to fail him.

The Spaniard had already undergone two operations on the cruciate ligaments which tore so innocuously against Newcastle United in February.

Then just when he felt ready to return, another complication forced him under the surgeon’s knife again.

It would be enough to plunge many players into depression, but as the 27-year-old received treatment in Barcelona’s Quiron hospital, his outlook on football and life began to change.

"The lowest point for me was after the third setback, in November,” he said.

“I'd already come back from surgery, was training again and had been out for five months. But then the stitches in my knee flaked and that had to be repaired. It was just bad luck, that's all, but really terrible for me.

"It needed washing out and I was back in a brace for another three or

four weeks, back to square one. Mentally it was very tough.

"I was in Barcelona at the time and came down for dinner about 7 or 8pm. I walked downstairs but felt a bit sick, and my missus (former

Miss Spain Lorena Bernal) said 'look at the size of your knee’.

“It had really ballooned, so I went straight back to hospital that night.

“They told me it didn't look good, so they drained it, but the next day it was the same again.

"They had to go inside it to have a proper look, get the fluid out and test everything again.

“ I'd gone through it all before, having the brace on, working on mobility and strength and I was back at the start.

"It put me back another five months because the bacteria could have affected the cruciate too and the cartilage.

“I feel like I've done a masters in medicine, I've learned that much.”

The Everton talisman has not just learned the anatomy of the human knee though, his eyes have been opened in human terms too.

He said: “In the hospital in Barcelona it put a lot of things in

perspective. I saw a lot of things with the kids which were unbelievable

“ I'd just had a baby (Gabriel, born July) and when you see youngsters who are ill it is even worse.

“I knew at the end of all I was going through that I'd be fine, but a lot of them in there wouldn't be.

“It makes you realise football is very important, but you have to realise it's just a part of your life, not all of it. It puts everything in perspective.”

Now the skilful midfielder is trying to coax his body back to its best and strongest.

He said: "I remember the first few tackles after I came back. You always protect your knee, it's just a subconscious thing.

“ The first real test was from Tim Cahill or Bainesy. They went in hard twice, I was thinking 'what have you done,' but it was fine.

"I never had doubts about coming back, it was just a case of when.

But until you are back out on the pitch you don't know for certain.

“And everyone at Everton was really good, keeping in touch with texts and calls from the lads, the medical staff, manager and chairman. They told me to take as long as I needed, stay with my friends and family.

“ They trusted me basically, but they knew I'd do the right things, I wasn't going to be lying around on the beach.

"I was travelling a lot between here and Spain. I went to see Ramon Cugat in Barcelona, who is in the top three knee surgeons in the world. It was just very fortunate that when the knee did swell up I was still in Barcelona.

"I was due to come back, but I'd only started doing some running that week and he wanted me to stay on a bit longer to see if there was any reaction, and it's lucky I did.

“If I'd already been in England I wouldn't have been able to fly back and would have had to wait until he was free to come over, so it would have put things back even more.”

Arteta was asked to return sooner than he had planned, but he is happy to be involved.

He said: “It did feel strange when I came back, especially the pace of the game, but I know more about it know than ever before.

“I watched every match from last season while I was doing my rehab.

“I love watching football, but watching Everton was hard. You know what they're going to do because they're your mates and you work with them every day.

“Watching them win was beautiful but losing is even worse because you can't do anything to help. It did feel strange when I came back, especially the pace of the game, but I know more about it know than ever before. Hopefully I will use that in a good way to improve my own game.

"We're in the middle of a tough, tough month, playing every three or four days now.

“In fact we were planning for me to have three or four weeks training with the lads, but we got a few more injuries, Fellaini and others, so I had to speed it up.

"You have to be at 100%, and it will be the same against United and Spurs if we want to beat them.